Mindfulness, Interoception, and the Body: A Contemporary Perspective
Frontiers in Psychology September 13, 2019 J. Gibson
Mindfulness is often defined so broadly that it creates confusion and hinders rigorous research. Some of this confusion stems from using mindfulness and meditation interchangeably. All forms of meditation modulate the insula, the brain's hub for interoception (sensing the body's internal state). Interoception may be the primary mechanism behind mindfulness's benefits, and increased interoception from neuroplasticity in the insula may better explain those benefits than mindfulness itself. The article proposes that different meditations require different attentional styles, each offering a unique perspective on complex interoceptive signals. Anchoring scientific findings in the concrete body rather than abstract meditative techniques may clarify the field.